Insufferable
by alexhlovesyou
Summary: Itching for some quiet studying, Hermoine heads off to the Room of Requirement, only to be faced with the boy she'd hated since the moment she met him - Draco Malfoy. Takes place during HBP.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: After browsing story after story and completely falling in love with the idea of fanfiction, I decided to write my own. I'm new to this, so I'd love any and all constructive criticism you can provide me! I know I'm not perfect, so please, any advice or critique would be greatly appreciated._

_This Dramione fic takes place during the trio's sixth year, starting off just after Chapter 24, where Harry attacks Malfoy with the Sectumsempra curse._

_The rating may change as the story goes on._

* * *

Hermione looked up from her Potions book with an irritated expression strewn across her face, finding Lavender and Parvati deep in conversation about none other than Ron Weasley. They'd been gossiping relentlessly about him ever since Hermione came up to the dorm to study. The common room had been much too noisy for concentration, and she was quite disappointed when she realized her dorm wasn't much better. Though she knew it would be impossible to focus, she stuck her nose into Advanced Potion-Making once more, trying to soak up as much information about Everlasting Elixirs as possible. It came as no surprise to the girl that her roommates' chattering proved her assumptions right. For a minute she pretended to read, listening in on their conversation, though Lavender seemed to just be repeating the same complaints she'd made numerous times before. _At least she's not still calling him Won-Won_, she thought sourly. At once she decided to take her studying elsewhere, and stood. "Don't you two _ever_ stop talking?" She huffed rather rudely, and exited the room, her Potions book firmly clenched in her hands.

As she squirmed her way through the crowd in the warm common room, she thought to herself, _am I the only one who cares about my education? You'd think that students would have better things to do than sit around and gossip all evening. _A short sigh escaped her lips as she climbed through the Fat Lady's portrait hole. The hallways were empty this time of night, much to Hermione's delight. The last thing she needed was more human interaction. She began to wander the halls, pondering the possible rooms she could study in. There were empty classrooms everywhere, though those were occasionally occupied by couples looking for a private place to snog, or like-minded people trying to read. Needless to say, they weren't ideal. _I could just go back up to the common room, I suppose it wouldn't be too awful, and I wouldn't have to risk get in trouble there… I can't risk my reputation over something silly like this. _Hermione frowned and turned around, cautiously making her way back to Gryffindor Tower.

And then it hit her. Why didn't she think of it earlier? The Room of Requirement. "Of course," she breathed. She turned on her heels and paced down the hall as quick as she could, while still attempting to remain undetected. Finally she reached the hall where the Room's door usually appeared. Sure enough, when Hermione walked down the corridor three times, elaborate etchings appeared on the wall, weaving through each other and forming the shape of a door. She grinned with satisfaction and reached for the handle, still gripping her book tightly. She turned the handle and pulled, swinging the heavy door open.

A short gasp emerged from the interior of the room at the sound of the door squeaking open. "Who's there?" A voice hissed. Hermione would know that voice anywhere – it's host had caused her so much trouble over the years. From calling her a _mudblood_, to attempting to ruin Harry's Quidditch match, to filling Rita Skeeter with vulgar lies about Harry and Hagrid for the Daily Prophet, he had proved himself to be a relentless enemy.

"Malfoy?" She groaned with disdain.

"Granger," he responded shortly, staring at her with eyes full of hatred. He was the last person she'd like to stumble upon, especially in the Room of Requirement. The room had been filled with comfy, red velvet chairs, arranged in small circles around coffee tables. The back wall was beautifully lined with shelves filled with research material and draped with pitch-black cloth, creating a comfy atmosphere. Hermione, itching to scan the shelves for a good read, had to remind herself that she was in the same room as Malfoy. Still, the opportunity was too good to resist, and Hermione set her book and wand down at the table furthest from the blond-headed prat.

Even though she'd love to, she couldn't let Malfoy's presence escape her mind. Finally, she said, "What in Merlin's name are you doing in here, anyway?"

He jumped at the sudden break of the silence, and then lit his face with an agitated expression. "Have you _forgotten_, Granger? Or have you just lost your wits?" The boy sneered. "This room only shows itself to those who need it. I figured Miss Know-It-All would at least be able to put two and two together."

"I- I knew that!" Hermione sputtered, caught off guard. "I was just surprised." She stood there awkwardly, her eyes never leaving the table in front of here. "I suppose you're here to study, then," she said civilly.

"Does it come as a shock to you that you're not the only student who cares about grades?" He mocked, obviously annoyed. His usual smirk was replaced with an irritated grimace. "How vain of you."

"That's not what I meant and you know it, Malfoy." He was always so _difficult_, always twisting words around to make them seem incriminating and awful. She crossed her arms (though it was difficult due to the fact that she was holding both a book and a wand), and hesitated to speak again. "I should probably… I mean, I'll find another room, then." And with that she was weaving through the chairs, heading towards the door, not bothering to wait for a response. _What an insufferable, rude, inconsiderate pig,_ the girl thought bitterly as she slammed the Room's heavy door behind her. She strode down the numerous corridors, hardly bothering to be quiet, and nearly shouted the password at the Fat Lady.

"My, my, Granger, rather cross aren't we tonight, dear?" She said, and reluctantly swung open. Hermione strode through the opening and entered the common room, which, though less crowded than before, was still occupied by a fair amount of people. She spotted Harry and Ron in the chairs by the fire, looking exhausted, lost deep in conversation. She stormed past them, ignoring their calls, and went right up the stairs to her dormitory. Thankfully Lavender and Parvati had both separated into their designated beds and were quiet. At her entrance, the two looked up, observing her as she huffed angrily and fell upon her bed without a word. It became apparent to her that she wasn't the only mad one in the room as she remembered the comment she'd made as she left earlier.

Though Hermione wanted to, she couldn't force an apology out, and instead turned over, falling asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: I feel like I really rushed this chapter, so it's probably not amazing or whatever. Please review and let me know what you liked, and what I should work on! Thank you for reading._

* * *

Hermione's eyes flickered open slowly, bracing herself for the bright morning sun. Though, she realized quickly, the light from the dorm's window wasn't as intense as she'd expected. She propped herself up with her elbow, observing the room. She had obviously awoken early, as the sky was still a deep red and her roommates were breathing slowly, fast asleep. Not bothering to check her watch, Hermione quietly rose from her bed, slipping into her school robes. She crept out of the dorm and down the stairs, careful not to wake anyone, and pushed the Fat Lady's portrait back, revealing the deserted hallway. The Fat Lady snored quietly, not even noticing Hermione climbing past her. _Not a great form of security, when she's asleep_, Hermione remarked to herself and chuckled.

Hermione was surprised when she saw Ron and Harry already in the Great Hall, considering that each table was nearly empty. She sat down across from the two and mumbled a tired "G'mornin," helping herself to coffee. The Gryffindor table was covered in food as usual, though Hermione felt as though she couldn't eat a single bite. She stared into her coffee, thoughts wandering.

Ron shot a troubled look at Harry. The latter asked warily, "Were you alright last night? You seemed sort of…" His voice trailed off, not wanting to offend his friend. Obviously Ron didn't share the same intentions – he went straight to the point, disregarding any consequence.

"Furious," Ron finished for him. Harry nodded. A genuine look of worry spread across both of their faces.

A gloomy weight filled Hermione as she remembered the events of the night before. "It… it was nothing, I'm fine." She gave them a halfhearted smile and took a sip of the bitter coffee in front of her. Her face scrunched at the awful taste, though she went in for another sip, feeling as though she wouldn't last the day without it.

Ron muttered something under his breath and continued eating, obviously not convinced by her words at all. Harry resorted to his usual routine of theorizing about Malfoy as the two of them drank pumpkin juice. The Great Hall slowly filled with students, and a buzz of chatter echoed in the giant room. _Speak of the devil_, Hermione thought, as she lifted her gaze to find the blond entering the room. He was deep in conversation, making grand hand gestures to Pansy Parkinson and his gang of followers and grinning with delight. They all howled with laughter and shot taunting glances at Hermione, who immediately flushed a dark shade of red.

"What an imbecile," she growled, and Harry and Ron looked up at her. Harry opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get the first word out, Hermione jumped up from her seat, fists clenched, and stormed away from the table without a backwards glance. She ignored the boys' cries of "Hermione!"

Ron turned to Harry and muttered, "She's gone bloody mad," shaking his head tensely. Harry sighed and nodded, and the two returned to eating in silence.

* * *

Professor Flitwick's mundane voice, for the first time in all of her existence at Hogwarts, bored Hermione to the extent of not listening. At the moment, he was droning on and on about _Avis_, a bird-conjuring charm, of which Hermione had plenty of experience using in anger towards Ron. But her attention was drawn back with a snap when Flitwick requested that the students take out their wands for practice. _My wand… Where's my wand? _A feeling of terror filled the pit of Hermione's stomach as she realized she didn't have her wand inside her pocket. _Where would I have left it…? My nightstand? No, I would have noticed it there…_ And then it dawned on her. _The Room of Requirement._ She groaned quietly. She'd set it on a table in the Room before she left, along with her Potions book. _Oh, bloody hell… I left it with Malfoy._ The feeling of franticness was replaced with hopelessness. _I do hope he didn't pick them up…_

As soon as Flitwick's lesson was over, Hermione darted out the door and down the corridor. "Hermione, what in Merlin's n-" Ron's voice echoed through the hall as she speed-walked, and she merely turned around and gave him an intense look that read _not now_. She somehow managed to make it up the stairs in very little time, and paced past the Room's wall three times impatiently. _I need to find my wand, _she thought. _I need my wand._

Hermione let out a sigh of relief when the heavy metal door appeared, and she jerked it open. Inside, the room was filled with shelves and shelves of books, firecrackers, toys, papers, trinkets – anything that needed to be hidden. In the corner stood a dusty old Vanishing Cabinet, which Fred and George had gladly used years prior. Somehow she failed to notice the person standing in front of the cabinet until it was too late.

"Shit! _Petrificus Totalus_!" A cold shock ran up Hermione's spine, and she found herself frozen in a stiff position, hand still gripping the Room's door. "Granger, what in- fuck- why are you-" Malfoy growled another swear-word, and lowered his wand slightly. His eyes flickered to the cabinet behind him, and then back to Hermione, with an eyebrow tweaked up. Slowly, he walked back to the cabinet, his eyes never leaving the girl who'd bursted into the room seconds ago. "You didn't see anything… did you?" Hermione (still frozen, of course) only returned his terrified expression. "…finite," he murmured, and tucked his wand away in his robes. She let out a gasp as the curse lifted and her body returned to its normal, functioning state. She wiggled her fingers as reassurance.

"I- I came here for my wand," she explained, still in shock from being bound so suddenly. "And my textbook," she added. Malfoy glared at her and swiftly walked over to a shelf that was next to the cabinet, and pulled out her wand and book. "Oh, thank _goodness_." She sighed, and a smile almost crept onto her face. Malfoy's expression softened as well, but only for a moment.

"Anything else you need?" He spat. "If not, you'd better get out of my sight." Something was different about him today. The threats sounded less than genuine; whatever had been making him on edge lately was obviously taking a toll on him in more than one way. His cheekbones were sunken, and his skin even less vibrant than normal. Though he still acted like Malfoy around Crabbe and Goyle, something had changed within him. He seemed more focused, more stressed out… _Oh, what do I care? He's Malfoy. But still… Harry could be right. Maybe he's not a Death Eater, but something definitely is up._

Hermione furrowed her brow and took a deep breath, contemplating whether to leave or not. "Malfoy," she said, and paused. "What exactly am I not supposed to see?" Her eyes darted between the cabinet and the boy.

"It's none of your bloody business," Malfoy said tiredly, though still laced with dislike. His hands were clenched into fists.

"Alright." Hermione said. It really was none of her business. A silence hung in the air ominously. She didn't know whether to be grateful for him saving her things, or to be furious with how he'd spoken to her. "Well… thank you." Her voice was soft and quiet, still unsure of how to react. Malfoy glanced up at her, confused. "For these," Hermione clarified, gesturing to her wand and book. He nodded, and some of the agitation and fear seemed to desert his expression. He was by no means calm, though he didn't look like he could fall apart at a moment's notice anymore.

His stare followed her until she was completely out of sight. A pale hand ran through his short hair, and a quiet "fuck" cracked through the serene environment.


End file.
